Berlin -LRB- CNN -RRB- Fans and film critics battled to be the dominant voice at the international premiere of `` Fifty Shades of Grey '' in Berlin Wednesday night -- and it was the unrestrained exuberance of the fans that won the day .

The scene was apparently different at the two press screenings earlier in the day , after which many critics were eager to pour out their abhorrence -- not at the movie 's sado-masochistic sex scenes but to the causes of greater offense in the critical mind -- script , plot and performance .

Some traumatized refugees of these screenings stood alongside me at the red carpet outside Berlin 's swanky Zoo Palast cinema , awaiting the arrival of the stars for the film 's international premiere . Their sense of outrage had not been cooled by the chilly evening air .

`` It was Fifty Shades of sh*t ! '' exclaimed one appalled journalist .

But on the other side of the carpet a different story was playing out .

Several hundred fans huddled together for warmth , spurred on by a shared devotion to the books of E.L. James and the anticipation of catching an eyeful of Jamie Dornan , the handsome actor who plays her bondage-loving billionaire , Christian Grey . They had come from Germany , of course , but as far afield as the United States .

A man from Uruguay was in attendance with his wife and daughter . Had he read the book ?

`` I read some of it , '' he told me rather sheepishly , `` but then I gave it back to my wife . She loves it and my daughter does too . ''

Male opinion was relatively hard to find among a crowd in which women outnumbered men by about 20-1 . Some fans had come along as couples , revealing different approaches to `` Fifty Shades . ''

`` I 'm Fifty Shades of sex , '' offered a young German man , to which his girlfriend countered : `` And I am Fifty Shades of romance . ''

Meanwhile , a few hundred miles away in the UK , London firefighters are anticipating an increase in call-outs when the film hits general release in a few days . London Fire Brigade says it is `` concerned '' that the event could lead to a `` spike '' in people being trapped in handcuffs or genital rings .

Pandemonium broke out when the stars arrived , as fans went into ecstasy at first sight of their heroes .

The camera crews and reporters bawled out equally hysterically , not in delight but frustration as the enormous entourage of minders and PR managers accompanying the cast obscured all but a glimpse of them . Scuffles broke out between camera crews defending their inadequately-allocated space .

I was wedged between a sharp piece of camera equipment from a rival broadcaster to my left and my CNN colleague to the right -- and it was he who inadvertently provided the most jarring moment of the evening , catching me full in the face with the back of his camera as he gamely fought to hold the line against a brute on a stepladder . Not journalism 's finest hour , perhaps .

For Dornan and Dakota Johnson , who plays submissive Anastasia Steele to Dornan 's dominant Grey , it 's been a long road from the film 's notorious bondage dungeon , the `` Red Room of Pain , '' to the red carpet .

Having been virtually gagged from discussing the movie for almost a year since filming ended , both seemed relieved to be able to talk about the film .

Dornan addressed the mayhem surrounding him .

`` We knew how many people read the books and how many cared about the film and we were kinda ready for this in a way , I 'm not shocked , I mean it 's a little bit shocking but I was aware there 'd be a lot of heat , so this is kinda mad . ''

The `` Fifty Shades '' books have sold over 100 million copies worldwide and been translated into more than 50 languages -- the film 's forthcoming Valentines Day release is this year 's hot ticket .

But it 's not everyone 's idea of pleasure .

Voices have been raised in concern that the film could be seen as glamorizing domestic violence . That was denied by the film-makers on the carpet .

Director Sam Taylor-Johnson told me : `` I think they have n't seen the movie because I feel like I empower this woman and I give her the final word and the message is very strong and the message is really ` No , ' when someone crosses the line , so I 'm really hoping that people wo n't feel that , of course , and that they 'll see it very differently . ''

Her leading lady Dakota Johnson agreed . `` Everything that Anastasia does , it 's completely her choice and consensual and no person is abused in the movie and I think it 's kind of a closed-minded outlook -LRB- to say it glamorizes domestic violence -RRB- . ''

Author and director are reported to have indulged in a few verbal lashings on-set but their creative partnership could tie them together for several more years with unofficial reports of sequels in the works .

Could Taylor-Johnson make those reports official ?

`` It 's not official , no , but they are waiting to see how this does , so you can imagine it might do well enough for them to consider it . ''

At the box office , first signs indicate that it might indeed do well .

Some online ticket sites have reported record advance sales for an R-rated movie , with a $ 60 million opening weekend predicted .

It will likely fare less well with most critics .

During the screening which followed the red carpet there were several muted expressions of derision but they were more than matched by applause .

Unscheduled moments of laughter punctuated Grey 's post-coital visits to the piano but there were also moments of well-crafted mirth , notably a scene in which Christian and Anastasia sit at opposite ends of a business meeting room table and discuss the contract intended to govern their relationship .

A series of kinky clauses are discussed with admirably straight faces as Ana instructs Christian to strike out those concerning some more extreme sexual acts .

It 's one of several scenes which support Taylor-Johnson 's claim to have empowered her heroine .

Dakota Johnson 's Anastasia may not hold the key to the cuffs but she does hold the key to the relationship and what she may or may not consent to . The sex scenes account for little more than ten minutes in a film approaching two hours and I 'd be surprised if many considered them shocking .

One scene involving the erotic deployment of an ice cube could have been cut straight out of `` 9 1/2 Weeks , '' that other notorious S&M movie which starred Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke , whose character would have kicked Christian Grey 's butt .

We do get to see the Grey butt in action , but no full-frontal nudity , a modesty which is not afforded to Dakota Johnson .

Sure it has its cheesy moments and its flaws -- but it 's not aimed at winning Best Picture . -LRB- `` American Sniper '' on the other hand won a nomination despite its shockingly obvious fake baby scene -RRB- . Just as the books have been derided for literary inadequacies there 's plenty here to allow critics to take pot-shots .

But if you 're a fan of the books , chances are you may well love it . And when a movie becomes an `` event movie , '' drawing crowds in vast numbers for a fun night out , the cheers of `` Fifty Shades '' fans may effectively pop a gag into the mouth of the most po-faced critic .

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Hyped movie `` Fifty Shades of Grey '' premiered Wednesday at Berlin Film Festival

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Critics were derisive , but unrestrained exuberance of fans won the day

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Filmmakers denied critics ' assertion that film glamorized sexual violence

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Director Sam Taylor-Johnson : `` I feel like I empower this woman ''